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Hi. I am a 56% Gatherer by SWAMI and am about 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) overweight.I am a typical gatherer in that I have yo-yo dieted for almost 15 years. I recently found the GTD and it makes alot of sense to me... but I am wondering how many other gatherers have had success losing weight on the diet... and for those that have, how strict you were? and what kind of exercise you did? And how you managed that line between not eating TOO much to add calories but not eating nothing and messing with your metabolism? I would also love to know how much you lost over what time frame too...... just a bit of motivation I am new to the forums here, and would really appreciate some help and support as I begin this journey......CheersSelina.

I find that I watch my portion control through Swami and I exercise at least 6 x per week. If I want to eat more, the exercise will take care of the food.

I bike 20 - 30 minutes every day and then I will exercise with http://www.cathe.com videos. In the summer I will golf 2 x per week (walk 18 holes) and in winter I will usually ski 2 x and walk/run every day.

I inched up in weight in August (travel and eating). This week I watched my portion control and followed my Swami exactly and exercised every day. 5 lbs came off. I am supposed to hike about 12 km today, so I will see what happens tomorrow on the scale.

Weight mysteriously goes on at 3 times the rate that fat is lost on my body.

?..how strict you were? and what kind of exercise you did? And how you managed that line between not eating TOO much to add calories but not eating nothing and messing with your metabolism?

Hello Selina,

Well, these are the right questions. It sounds like you are on the right track.

My wife is a gatherer, and we are both "thrifty", having the genes that hoard calories. What we've learned in the 18 months that we've been following our respective plans is that a good, steady approach is best for both the excercise routine and the diet, since the body overreacts towards swings and spikes by not metabolizing food so that it may be used later should a state of famine occur. Being as compliant as possible will take some focus, but pays off with an even, steady weight drop and just as importantly, better health. Just don't try for rapid loss through deprevation, as this will trigger those genes to hoard calories. Follow the portion recommendations.

The Activator and Catalyst supplements will help enormously in helping to calm down those thrifty genes.

i have read some comments here for infrared sauna. i am a gatherer and following the diet. havent yet started the exercise part. although i am into exercising on and off. i have had some positive changes with diet alone. now i am beginning the exercise part- soon! i want to know if anybody has had ADDITIONAL benefits from sauna, seperate from the benefits of diet and exercise changes to lifestyle that was made for genotype diet.i now want to focus on weight loss. so am thinking about buying the sauna. any thing to say?

I've found that taking a sauna regularly (not infrared for me)is really helpful in losing weight AND it makes me feel great. I'm not in a place where I can take one regularly now, but they are opening a new YMCA right near me next spring, so I hope to get back to them ASAP.

Hi. I am a 56% Gatherer by SWAMI and am about 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) overweight.I am a typical gatherer in that I have yo-yo dieted for almost 15 years. I recently found the GTD and it makes alot of sense to me... but I am wondering how many other gatherers have had success losing weight on the diet... and for those that have, how strict you were? and what kind of exercise you did? And how you managed that line between not eating TOO much to add calories but not eating nothing and messing with your metabolism? I would also love to know how much you lost over what time frame too...... just a bit of motivation I am new to the forums here, and would really appreciate some help and support as I begin this journey......CheersSelina.

First off all try with kelp if you don't have Hyperthyroidism. You get rid of the water between cells, even 1 kg per a day.

My husband is a type O Gatherer (non-secretor) and he currently feels ugly because he is 50 lbs. overweight (6'1" - 230 lbs.). He had lost 30 lbs. last year by sticking to the diet and doing Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred but then he gained it all back (even though he was still sticking to the diet) because he stopped exercising due to starting a new job. Now that he has been made permanent he has full access (for free) to the gym at work and uses it every day after work for 30 min. but he's still worried that he won't be able to keep the weight off and he's ruined himself some how. He was in great shape when he was younger because he wanted to join the military (that changed). I wish I could make him feel better about himself. It's hard for me to relate because I've never had trouble with weight gain. I've always had a super fast metabolism. I try to do what I can to encourage him but sometimes I feel helpless when he feels this way. I'm sure some of it is due to stress as well and I do understand how hard it can be to motivate yourself to workout and eat healthy when you feel down in the dumps. He struggles with feeling sad a lot too. But he's lost both is parents. He's been through a lot. Anyway, just thought I'd share.

Hi. I am a 56% Gatherer by SWAMI and am about 25 kilograms (about 55 pounds) overweight.I am a typical gatherer in that I have yo-yo dieted for almost 15 years. I recently found the GTD and it makes alot of sense to me... but I am wondering how many other gatherers have had success losing weight on the diet... and for those that have, how strict you were? and what kind of exercise you did? And how you managed that line between not eating TOO much to add calories but not eating nothing and messing with your metabolism? I would also love to know how much you lost over what time frame too...... just a bit of motivation I am new to the forums here, and would really appreciate some help and support as I begin this journey......CheersSelina.

Hi Selina,I've been on BTD/GTD/Swami for almost 7 years, lost around 20 kilos, and still carry 3-4 kilos overweight. Right now I do light gymnastics. When I was frequenting the gym (half a year in 2007) I worked out mainly on the multi-trainer and loved it. I NEVER count calories. I've found it better to train myself to eat only when I am hungry. The hardest thing was to give up wheat 'cold turkey'. My first solution were Wasa rye crackers. I ate them all the time, tons of them, and I still lost lots of weight quite rapidly. Right now my carbs are basmati rice, rice noodles (organic) and rice cakes. If you follow Swami's quantities recommendations, don't worry! Your metabolism is safe and you are safe. I can't tell how strict I've been. Quite strict. I don't touch avoids. I train myself to stay away from black dots I used to love. It takes time, but it's possible. The fact that this diet is soooo right makes it not just possible, but eventually very easy. It makes you happy. What more would one ask for? It sounds such an absurd, for an Israeli to avoid tomatoes and cucumbers, the basic Israeli ("Arabic style") salad ingredients. These two are avoids for me and I don't miss them one bit. But the avoids thing becomes minute and negligible, as a whole new fascinating world of wondrous knowledge unfolds before your amazed eyes.I wish you lots of success and lot of fun!

Hi everyone, I'm new here and have just recently done my SWAMI! In my heart I knew I was a gatherer, although I thought I could be a hunter. Growing up I was a healthy chubby baby, and always called muscular, or stocky as a kid. I was an athlete in middle/high school and maintained a muscular shape although I became curvy. I was a very picky eater growing up and mainly ate vegetarian, but would eat chicken now and then. I was a slow eater and never was part of the "clean plate club". Then I joined the military. In basic training I was forced to eat very rapidly and you know the food was terrible! I found myself piling food in my face, and not caring what it was that I ate. After basic training the weight started to come on. I had lost the ability to sense fullness to stop eating, and wasn't required to exercise as strenuously. Over the years I have gained and lost, but mostly gained, and recently have reached an all time high on the scale. I have tried nearly every diet under the sun. I am a nurse, and have had the food pyramid shoved down my throat for soooooo long. About 5 years ago I gave up MOST processed foods, after finding a very large beetle in a can of progresso soup. GAG! So I then mainly focused on vegetables and whole grains, and only ate meat when dining out. Then I tried going gluten free, and then I dabbled in the paleo diet. I could never quite stick to either and now I am really feeling the effects of my weight gain. Shaping up to hit rock bottom. I am very sure that I am insulin resistant. I can eat 1300 calories a day and exercise regularly and still gain weight. So here I am at the recommendation of my acupuncturist. I have been following my SWAMI for a few weeks now, although it's a transitioning process. I have tried my best to eat as many beneficials as possible, and cut out avoids. So far it's been pretty good. I have less bloating and gas, and I think I'm starting to feel the fullness sensation again. It is a challenge as well. The hardest avoids for me are vinegars, avocado, and cauliflower, and cheese! So sad! It's also been a challenge to eat the red meat. Thankfully I can have lots of fish! I have been experiencing headaches almost daily since starting. My acupuncturist thinks it's from the detoxifying my body is doing. I haven't had too many cravings, but with the headaches and my very physical job, some evenings I feel like eating comfort foods. (which for me are things like thai food) Anyway, it's good to be here! Cheers!

Kiki, I totally know the struggle! My body rebelled after I had my first kid. I tried everything the "right way" (I'm a born and raised vegetarian, so always ate lots of veggies, fruits, whole grain products). Over the last 8 yrs. I spent 4 of them religiously keeping a diet and exercise journal, counting calories, etc. I was walking 7 miles a day and had dropped my calories to 600-900 a day and even had days when it was as low as 400 calories a day. I did manage to lose 35 lbs doing that but I hit a brick wall and the weight came on no matter that I exercised harder, added the gym to it, etc. Blood tests came back "normal" and the Drs all acted like I was lying and they didn't have answers. One told me to up my calorie intake to 1200. I did and promptly gained 10 lbs. in 2 months. After I added the gym to it all I gained 20 lbs in 3 months. Mentally that's when I hit rock bottom.

Saw an endocrinologist and I am insulin resistant. It took another couple of yrs but they also discovered I have lupus, sjogren's and a thyroid problem.

See, you're not alone in the stubborn weight that won't budge. On a plus note, with the meat and slowly getting my diet adjusted to the Gatherer (still working on potatoes and corn), the synthroid being increased (they're still playing with doses) I've lost 11 lbs. It's been slow but it's gaining speed.

Not that we are sick according to the measurements by modern medicine, but that we just are different and OUR NUMBERS ought to be measured differently?????!!!!!

I think just like the docs suggested higher numbers for cholesterol for years and then they changed them, could it not be that WE Gatherers are a different BREED and we need our own numbers? as in different test results???

I am coming to the conclusion that DR D can NOT tell us what to do that is outside what is the current Medical NORM, as then he is going against whatever ..

BUT we as a group, could we decide to do something different? I MEAN we are the ones suffering and we are the ones getting sick from the NORM.. Could we do a study of our own and just try to support the THYROID in some way?

Would any of you have experiences of some sort that would help this?

I wonder if WE do not deserve better?

We would not have to start out with a full dose of something, but maybe a smaller amount at first and then build up on it? I wonder why we could not be recognized by US at least that WE deserve better...

What do you think?

Being here is invaluable, but not enough. We need ALL the Doctors. I needed them for a very small cancer spot-I could never feel!!! Please do your mammograms! Doing so saved me from cancer later on. I am grateful! Thanks for learning from my experience! I was lucky! I wish the same for YOU!

If only, Goldie! I can't see the AMA, FDA, or any insurance company going for that! Maybe I am wrong, but I dont' get the sense that western medicine has any room for the BTD/GTD. A few years ago I was sure that my thyroid was burned out due to weight gain and constantly feeling fatigued. I had read that sometimes your thyroid can be on the fritz even if your TSH and free T4 are normal. Previously my TSH and free T4 were in the normal range but at the top and bottom of normal. So I asked for a full thyroid panel as per the article i had read. Everything still came back normal and my doctor and her nurse said, "just keep on dieting and exercising and it will come off eventually!" I am choosing to work with my acupuncturist to get my body back in tune internally and hopefully things will change externally too! I used to wish that there was something wrong with me (like hypothyroid) so that I would know why my body seems to gain weight just by looking at food! But alas, nothing is. I even have wonderful cholesterol levels depite being overweight. I am happy in my life in every other way, and have accepted that this is my life's challenge. So I'll just keep on battling!

I am now less wondering why I should not have more then 5 eggs a week.. finally on answer to why not 2 a day!

Being here is invaluable, but not enough. We need ALL the Doctors. I needed them for a very small cancer spot-I could never feel!!! Please do your mammograms! Doing so saved me from cancer later on. I am grateful! Thanks for learning from my experience! I was lucky! I wish the same for YOU!